Johnson Continues Commitment to Secure the Border

Washington, D.C. – This week, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) cosponsored three bills to strengthen security and policies at the southern border.

“Under the Biden Administration’s weak border policies, every state has become a border state,” said Johnson. “An increase in drugs and crime is seen in communities across America. I remain committed to securing the border to keep South Dakota families safe.”

The Biden Administration’s border policies have increased the monthly average of illegal crossings by 368 percent from September 2020 vs. September 2023. Although South Dakota is 1,000 miles from the southern border, illegal immigration has cost our state $56.9 million in 2023. In May, Johnson voted in support of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, when it passed with some of the strongest border security measures to be voted on by the House.

Legislation:

The Preventing the Recycling of Immigrants is Necessary for Trafficking Suspension (PRINTS) Act, led by U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), would:

• Give CBP the authority to fingerprint non-citizens under the age of 14 in order to combat trafficking and child recycling;
• Require DHS to publicly report the number of apprehensions in a given month involving child traffickers who falsely claimed that an accompanying child was a relative;
• Require DHS to submit an annual report to Congress identifying the number of minors who were fingerprinted pursuant to this Act;
• Remove the Attorney General’s authority to waive fingerprinting requirements for those illegally crossing the southern border; and
• Criminalize child recycling.

The Southern Border Transparency Act, led by Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), would require Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report:

• Number of migrants paroled at each POE and each Border Patrol sector, broken down by nationality and demographics.
• Number of migrants apprehended at each POE and each Border Patrol sector, and how many were granted voluntary departure, placed into expedited removal, or entered another process (likely humanitarian release).
  • For each POE and Border Patrol sector: the number of migrants that entered into expedited removal, how many claimed a fear of persecution, credible fear of persecution, and were either removed, detained, or entered another process (likely release).
• The number of petitions for parole received and granted by USCIS.
• The total number of aliens paroled into the US, broken down by nationality and demographics, and of these for each fiscal year—
  • How many granted employment authorization;
  • How many still had a valid employment authorization;
  • How many have not had parole expire;
  • How many had status adjusted or parole extended;
  • How many had parole expire, and of these, how many exited the United States;
  • How many were returned to DHS custody from which they were paroled.

The Migrant Protection Protocols Permanency Act, led by U.S. Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), would reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy, requiring those seeking asylum at the southern border or without proper documentation to return to Mexico to wait for their immigration proceedings.